WRITERS: Carlton Cuse & Elizabeth Sarnoff DIRECTOR: Stephen Williams
CAST: Terry O'Quinn (Locke), Dominic Monaghan (Charlie), Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond), (Mr Eko), Ian Somerhalder (Boone), Jorge Garcia (Hurley), Justin Chatwin (Eddie), Chris Mulkey (Mike), Virginia Morris (Jan), Joel Himelhoch (Sheriff) & Dion Donahue (Kim)
Locke wakes up in the jungle unable to speak, and sets about trying to locate Mr Eko by contacting "the island"...On the surface, this episode of Lost has everything going for it; it's focuses on Locke, one of the most fascinating characters and blessed with an intriguing flashback history, it returns to the scene of last season's climactic Hatch to reveal the fates of Desmond and Mr Eko, and even welcomes a familiar face back into the show...
So why is Further Instructions so difficult to enjoy? The fact is, this episode is messy and below the high standards of the show. On a superficial level it contains some entertaining moments (a Locke "mind trip" back to Sydney Airport, another polar bear, and even a bit of clairvoyancy), but none of it gels together very well.
The problems stem from the plot, which veers from unbelievable to ridiculous. Locke wakes up post-Hatch implosion unable to talk but convinced he must contact the island via a "sweat lodge". O-kay. In season 1 Locke was faintly mystic in his beliefs (the Aboriginal Walkabout, etc), but why does he want to contact the island anyway? Not pressing the button resulted in the destruction of the Hatch, but there's nothing to suggest a mystical solution is called for. If anything, the events with the Hatch were quite scientific in nature and the only problem facing Locke is the absence of Mr Eko.
Anyway, for some strange and unexplained reason, Desmond somehow survived the implosion of an underground bunker and finds himself stripped naked in the jungle! He proceeds to run around in no particular direction, for no apparent reason, until a chance meeting with Hurley directs him back to the beach. This is another example of the bizarre plotting in Further Instructions, with the writers clearly unable to properly explain last season's finale adequately, or relocate their characters back into the story effectively.
The ridiculous angle comes most notably from Mr Eko's fate -- dragged by a polar bear into a cave! The "island" tells Locke to save Mr Eko, which he does by arming himself with a torch and, er, a can of hairspray!
A criticism of season 2 was the handling of Locke's character, who went from boar-hunter to button-presser. Personally, I quite enjoyed seeing Locke's faith in the Hatch button tested at various intervals, but the season 1 Locke was certainly more charismatic and mysterious. Further Instructions is mainly focused on getting Locke back to his original personality, but it does so in such a silly fashion it almost makes Locke a parody of himself.
The flashbacks are a massive disappointment, particularly as Locke's flashbacks are usually a highlight of any season. Here, Locke's history moves into an unseen time period with Locke as a member of a commune, who picks up a young hitch-hiker called Eddie and introduces him to their lifestyle. The only element of the flashbacks with a link to on-island events, is a drugs element that might eventually makes Locke's dislike of Charlie's addiction more understandable. The rest is massively superfluous and struggles to provide the usual commentary on present day island events with Locke's character. A terrible waste.
Further Instructions is easily one of Lost's most haphazard episodes. There are some fun moments (Locke's hallucinations, a hint that Desmond might now be clairvoyant -- or is it temporary?), but most of the episode is just silly. A particular bugbear I have with Lost is how characters react to news or interact with each other following major events; a problem abundant in this episode...
Why hasn't Charlie gone to look for Desmond, Locke and Eko? Why is he just sat on the beach with Claire when he witnessed the Hatch malfunction?
How did Mr Eko, Locke and Desmond escape the Hatch implosion? In particular, Desmond was even further underground with the fail-safe key, so how did he get to the surface... and lose all his clothes?!
Most irritatingly, Hurley just witnessed several major events: the revelation of Michael as a double-murderer, the departure of Michael and Walt from the island, the fact Henry Gale is the Others' leader, and the capture of Jack, Sawyer and Kate. So why is he walking nonchalently through the jungle back to camp? Surely you'd be fearing for your friends' lives and rushing back, yes? I don't care how unfit you are!
Lost has always contained weaknesses like this, with characters rarely talking to each other frankly and openly, but usually it isn't handled so jarringly. In Further Instructions, there are just too many inconsistencies and bad judgements of character to let it pass.
A frivolous episode beneath the show's usual quality.
